San Francisco

2 weeks ago we left on another road trip- this time to California for Chris and Lisa's wedding. I had never been to northern CA, so I was excited to go to a few new places. Matt decided that we would make the drive a bit longer and go to San Francisco so I could see it. I don't think Sydney would have considered the longer drive worth it- but I did! It was a very interesting city, where I must admit I felt like I had to keep the car doors locked at all times because there were so many people out on the streets. It is always fun to do things with just our little family!

The famous Pier 39

Lombard Street

Some of the city...

Sydney loved the birds all around...

Ghirardelli- we love chocolate!

The Golden Gate Bridge- so cool!

I promise- this story has a point! It was so fun to just walk around parts of the city and look around. It really has a unique feel to it. I have realized that I am so sheltered- which I actually like. When we got to Pier 39, it was our first time out of the car since Reno, NV. So, naturally I had to go to the bathroom. We wanted to get some clam chowder in sourdough breadbowls, so I thought I'd just go to the restroom in the restaurant. We settled down at our table, and then I went to look for the bathroom. I headed to the corner where it looked like it was at, and there was only one restroom, with only men walking out. So, I proceeded to walk around the restaurant looking for the woman's bathroom. A girl asked me if I was looking for the bathroom, and I said "yes." She pointed towards the men's bathroom I had seen earlier. I gave her this puzzled look, and she said, "it's unisex" all matter-of-factly. I about died!!! I am sure as I walked away she laughed at the look on my face. At this point, I really did need to go- so I walked over to the unisex bathroom. I think I stood outside for a while, trying to decide if I really should go in. Out of necessity, I finally went in. I was scared the entire time, that I would see a man, and thankfully I didn't. When I got back to the table, Matt said he needed to go, and I replied with, "oh we could have gone together!" So weird, and creepy! Let's just say, I hope I never have to go in a unisex bathroom again, and I really am glad I live in UTAH!

Sydney's First Birthday!

We had a little birthday party/get together for Sydney's birthday on Sunday night. I know a lot of people go all out for their baby's first birthdays, but we wanted to keep it pretty small. I did make a cake and a cute sign, and she had plenty of presents, so it was a successful, fun night. Sydney really enjoyed pretty much everything about her birthday. It was a night of many firsts for her, which she loved. We can't believe that we have such a big girl! It sure has been a great year!

Licking the frosting off the beater...

Wearing her birthday hat, which didn't stay on long!

The sign I made, and the many unopened presents!

Sydney loved unwrapping the presents and playing with the wrapping paper and bows!

Reading a book she got...

We made a coloring book for Sydney to go along with her first crayons...

Sydney's huge pile of opened presents...

My first attempt at making a cake & it turned out pretty well!

Sydney getting ready to eat her cake!

All done!

Sydney has many people who love her. Thank you everyone for the presents and for spending some of this special day with us and Sydney! We all had fun!

Birthday Girl

I absolutely can not believe that a year has gone by since Sydney was born! It is amazing to me how time truly does fly. All day today, I kept thinking, last year at this time I was doing this...like going into labor, arriving at the hospital, pushing, seeing Sydney for the first time, visiting with family, etc. Sydney has been the most beautiful blessing of my life. Matt and I are so blessed to have her sweet spirit in our family. It has been so fun to watch her grow and learn this past year, and even though it may seem a little overboard, I would love to capture that process in one place. So, here are my favorite pictures of Sydney from this past year.

November

December

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

3 Years!

3 years ago today, Matt and I were married in the Salt Lake Temple! It is amazing to think how much time has gone by. We have had many adventures, and hope to have many more. I love you Matt! Thanks for all that you do!

Sydney's First Halloween

Halloween was Sydney's last "first" holiday. Although there are still many "firsts" to come in her life, it is weird to think that her first year, with so many monumental "firsts", is coming to a close. I truly can not believe that it has been a year since she was born.

We had a fun Halloween! As my family has gotten older Halloween has become less exciting, and we have adopted new traditions like sitting around talking to each other and having Taco Soup. Taco Soup is by far my favorite Halloween tradition. I even carried it on in college, making it for my roommates and friends on Halloween. It was one of the few recipes that I contributed to the many greats of Kelli, Chelsey, and Stacie's. Needless to say, Taco Soup was available this Halloween.

Halloween was a bit more exciting for me this year because I got to dress Sydney up! We dressed her up as a puppy dog. Brett actually wore the costume as a baby, and I borrowed it from my mom. Sydney is fascinated by dogs, so we were excited that she could be a puppy for Halloween. Every time she sees a dog, she says, "oooh, ooohf" in a deep dog like voice (at least deep for her little voice) imitating their bark. It is so funny! She even loves dogs that do not like her. The dog at the house I tutor at, does not like her, and will growl at her, and she just loves her. It is very funny. Anyway, we taught Sydney to say "ooohf, ooohf" when we ask her what a puppy says. She says it, without fail, every time, unless someone is watching, or we are video taping it. Typical I guess. So, she was very prepared to be a puppy, but of course, never said "oooh, ooohf" when she was actually wearing the costume. Even without the bark, she was an adorable puppy!

The night before Halloween we carved pumpkins with Allie and Brett at our house. Sydney enjoyed touching the pumkins and exploring them. It was fun, but did take a long time. . . pictures follow of our night and our masterpieces.

Notice the Yankees pumpkin...we have one every year!

On Halloween, Matt got off early, and we visited his grandparents and Jonne at their house. They got to see Sydney walk a little bit, but she is pretty shy and doesn't perform tricks very willingly, which is why we don't have any video of the "oooh, ooohf." Then we went to my parents house, hung out a little, had Taco Soup, made cupcakes, took Sydney trick-or-treating, and took lots of pictures. We only took Sydney to one house, just to say she went trick-or-treating, and she picked out a couple of suckers. So she had her first sucker and loved it! It sure was a sticky, drippy, drooly mess! She enjoyed carrying it around, along with her bone, and actually loved wearing the puppy costume! It was a fun night!